Organizational Culture in Thai Airways

Thai Airways International was founded in 1960 as a joint venture between Thailand’s domestic airline called Thai Airways Company (TAC) and Scandinavian Airline System (SAS), with the Scandinavian carrier funding 30% share capital of 2 million Baht. Seventeen years later, the capital participant partnership between Thai Airways and SAS was reformed by which the Thai government reduced SAS’s share holding from 30% to 15% and that allowed Thai Airways to be owned by Thai people.

Thai Airways is an international organization flying all around the world. Thai Airways’ recruitment and selection process for cabin crew uses specific criteria, such as the need to have completed a degree or a Department of Civil Aviation qualification. There are two key issues for being a flight attendant: a concern for safety and a service mentality.

Cabin crew must be willing to assist others and help them have a pleasant flight. Being a member of the cabin crew is a privileged job in Asia, as it requires a good educational background and offers a chance to travel abroad. The demand for such jobs is based on a head count of passengers: one crew member for every five passengers in first class, one crew member for every 12 passengers in business class, and one for every 32 passengers in economy class.

The screening process is as follows :

• Physical size: weight and height criteria (165cm, BMI) are required because physical flexibility is needed in an emergency, and to help passengers to close the overhead compartments.
• Personality screening: appearance, composure and posture are all considered to be important. The appropriate way of greeting passengers, a gentle manner throughout the service and even the way of handling baggage are important, as gentle, considerate and respectful 107 manners are seen to be an integral part of Thai culture. Cabin crew are expected to be representatives of Thai culture, and so must be seen to behave accordingly.
• Written exa : there is an attitude and aptitude test. A cooperative working relationship is seen as essential, and there is also a check on mentality and psychological well-being. As well as such tests, candidates are required to undertake a group exercise involving some role play, a swimming test, and a health check-up provided by the Institution of Aviation Medicine.

The training covers the following topics:

1. Categories of aeroplane,
2. The aviation business, including the company’s business targets, partners and customers,
3. Social manners, Thai society and culture.

This training takes 12 weeks to complete; the pass mark is 90% in the security section and 80% on passenger service. It is interesting that the first lesson for flight attendants is to learn how to do a Thai-style greeting. The greeting is considered to be a significant aspect of Thai culture and makes distinctions according to social rank, with monks and elders being greeted differently from the general public. Such greetings, together with the distinctive Thai silk uniforms, are the first step to impress passengers, and have become the hallmark of Thai cabin crews. Trainees also have to learn about social manners and being considerate towards passengers. As well as focusing on their external appearance and taking a make-up class, they also have to train in inner beauty and mindfulness, one of the most distinguishing features that sets the company apart from its competitors. Trainees have to become involved in a charity project, such as a school for the blind. This is to educate them about the needs of disabled passengers and how best to be of service to such passengers and take good care of them. 

By participating in charity projects, cabin crew are able to practise serving all kinds of passengers from their hearts, with mindfulness, expressing both internal and external beauty. Finally, the training covers in-flight simulation. Trainees then have to present their simulated flight to the assessment panel. 108 Links between the training programme, organisational culture and Thai culture The issue of the management of cultural diversity in the workplace has taken on greater significance in recent years, and in the airline industry in particular.

It has also been noted by a number of researchers in the field. It is within this context of managing cultural diversity that the kind of organisational culture being promoted by Thai Airways assumes particular importance.

Broadly speaking, the company is divided into nine functions. In each category, the functions are divided into seven and ten divisions; each division has a manager, with subordinates under his/her control. Therefore this investigation of in-flight customer service follows the Thai tradition of superior/subordinate relationships. The cultural values are identified partly by hierarchy, in particular where the organisational structure is managed by a consultative decision-dictating style. This potentially affects employee behaviour as well as organisational processes. According to publicly available information, Thai Airways is a public company which is mainly owned by the Ministry of Finance and the Thai government. The company policy is to acquire new skills and international standards, including raising awareness of Thai culture, customs and traditions.

Last but not the least, the selection criteria for cabin crew state that as a minimum recruits need a bachelor’s degree in any field, or academic accreditation from the Ministry of University Affairs for Overseas Graduates, with a minimum score of 600 on the TOEIC or 5.5 on the IELTS test. Moreover, they have to be able to speak and understand English, as well as having a good personality and good human relations skills. According to publicly available information, in 1997 Thai Airways started to create a Star Alliance with four leading airlines – Lufthansa, United, SAS and Air Canada – and since then further Star Alliances have been created. This is a result of 111 the changing face of globalisation.

References

• Annual Report 2014. (2014, 05). Annual Report. doi:10.30875/977ff2df-en
• COMPANY PROFILE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thaiairways.com/en/about_thai/company_profile/index.page
• Discrimination and Diversity. (2013, October 19). Retrieved from https://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/discrimination-and-diversity
• Logan, B., & Matousek, M. (2019, June 18). The 20 best airlines in the world for 2019. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com.au/best-airlines-in-the-world-2019-skytrax-rankings-2019-6?r=US&IR=T